This salsa verde recipe is my take on the classic Italian recipe for ‘green sauce.’ It’s a close cousin to the Spanish mojo verde sauce and the Mexican chimichurri sauce. Capers and anchovies are distinct to the Italian green sauce.
An easy salsa verde sauce recipe that’s best made when sweet basil is plentiful. Continental parsley also plays an important supporting role. And for me, the sauce is defined by the sharp acidity of red wine vinegar. Though, if I’m planning to use it with seafood, I will swap in lemon juice.
Most of the prep work is in washing and picking through the herbs. The rest of the steps are super quick in a food processor or Thermomix.
I use salsa verde as a condiment to spoon over all manner of BBQ, grilled, and roasted meats, including chicken, fish, seafood, and steak. It’s super fresh and can brighten up any simply cooked protein. And I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to spoon it over steamed or roasted vegetables.
I am partial to bathing my roast chicken in this Italian green sauce, so check out my recipe for Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Roast Chicken. And, when folded through mayonnaise, this basil green sauce turns into a marinade of all things! You can learn this mayo marinade method in my recipe for Salsa Verde Mayo Chicken Kebab.
Salsa verde ingredients
I think the trickiest part of an herb-based recipe is getting ‘how much’ right when it comes to the herbs. A lot of recipes talk about ‘a bunch’ of basil or parsley. I have found there is a huge variation between what constitutes a bunch at different green grocers.
Even though I am specifying the herbs in both ‘cups’ and ‘grams’ please don’t fret too much about exact proportions. While the recipe provides measurements for each ingredient, they’re really a guide only.
I recommend holding back some of the vinegar and olive oil, so that you only add enough to balance with the amount of herbs you have ended up with. Once you get familiar with the recipe, you’ll be able to build the sauce using the technique and your judgement.
Food process method
I can’t say I have met anyone who makes this recipe by hand. In theory the hand chopped method is going to respect your soft herbs a lot more than a food processor or a Thermomix.
My salsa verde in the food processor recipe steps out the process so the herbs are added at the last minute. Start by pulsing the capers, garlic, and anchovies along with the Dijon mustard and white sugar until you get a nice fine chop. You’re going to need to scrape down the bowl a couple of times.
Adding the parsley and basil
You’re going to want to pick your herbs to get rid of the thick stems. The finer stems don’t need to be removed.
You want about 100g of picked leaves of each herb. 100g of parsley or basil leaves equates to about 6 cups each of loosely packed leaves.
The parsley is a lot more robust than basil, so I add the parsley first and give it a couple of pulses before adding the basil leaves. A splash of olive oil and red wine vinegar helps with the process. And the vinegar slows down the oxidation process so your sauces will keep its vibrant green colour.
If you’re going to use the sauce in my Salsa Verde Mayo Chicken Kebab recipe, don’t keep adding the olive oil and vinegar. Scoop out the chopped herb mix you need for the marinade and set aside. Then proceed with adding the remaining olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
The sauce is best used the day it’s made but it will keep in the fridge for a few days. Place it in a clean jar or plastic container with a lid. Top it with some more olive oil to help keep it from oxidising.
Salsa verde mayo chicken kebab
Salsa Verde Sauce
Equipment
- Food processor
- Salad spinner
- 500ml plastic or glass jar with lid
Ingredients
- 100 g fresh basil (6 cups loosely packed leaves)
- 100 g continental parsley (6 cups loosely packed leaves)
- 4 small garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons capers (drained)
- 4 anchovies
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 – 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 200 – 300ml extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Wash the parsley and basil in cold water. Spin dry and roll up between paper towels to absorb any extra water. Alternative, dry between multiple layers of paper towels or a clean tea towel.
- Pick basil and parsley leaves, discarding the large stems (small stems are fine) and refrigerate until required.
- Peel garlic cloves and crush them into the bowl of the food processor.
- Press anchovy fillets between paper towels lightly to remove excess oil.
- Add the capers, anchovies, mustard, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and pulse until chopped finely. Scrape down the bowl several times to ensure even chopping.
- Add parsley, pulse a couple of times and scrape down the bowl. Then add the basil and pulse until herbs are finely chopped (not too fine you don’t want a puree).
- If using for a marinade remove two tablespoons of the herb mix for the marinade at this stage.
- Whisk in remaining vinegar and olive oil (you may not need it all – taste as you go – I like a good bit of vinegar myself).
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour sauce into a clean 500ml container, level out, and top with some olive oil to prevent oxidation.
- Store in the refrigerator.
One Response
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